Album



May 12, 1953 KENNEDY 2,638,099

ALBUM Filed June 10, 1950 FIG: I.

INVENTOR: 4 36 Jahzillsmeziy,

A TTORNEYS.

Patented May 12, 1953 UNITED (STATES {PATENT OFFICE i I 2,638,099 I' I 1 John R. Kennedy, Collingswood, N. J., assignor to National Publishing Company, Philadelphia, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania W Application June 10, 1950, Serial Nb. 167,470

This invention relates to an album, and more particularly concerns an album for storing phonograph records and the like.

It has been conventional practice to provide record albums having a plurality of record carry-. ing envelopes. Such albums are convenient for storage and reference purposes in that a plurality of albums may be stored in vertical or upright positions on shelves in .a manner similar to that in which books are usually stored. The titles of the recordings may be printed or otherwise represented on the outer surfaces or shelf backs of the albums for ready reference when the albums are so stored. While conventional albums have found wide use as containers 3 Claims. ((31.12.9-20) for groups of records, these areunduly bulky and individual records have ordinarily been stored in simple envelopes stacked upon each other. However when individual records are stored in envelopes, and the envelopes are stacked together, difliculty is encountered in locating any one particular record. Moreover, such envelopes do not ordinarily provide adequate protection to the records from physical shock and individual records stacked one upon another in conventional containers also have a tendency to warp.

It is accordingly an object of this invention to provide a simple inexpensive record album. Another object of the invention is to provide an album having a shelf back for contents idenification. Still another object is to provide an album constructed and arranged to minimize breakage and warpage of stored records. Other objects and advantages of the invention, including those derived from simplicity and economy of manufacture will appear hereinafter.

In summary, the invention concerns an album having a cover piece, a record envelope, and a pair of flaps constituting extensions of the envelope, said flaps being aifixed to the cover piece and affixed together to form a backbone intermediate the envelope and the cover piece.

Of the drawings:

Fig. 1 represents a view in perspective of an album constituting one embodiment of the invention, the album being illustrated in closed position;

Fig. 2 represents a view of the inside face of the album in open position;

Fig. 3 represents an enlarged sectional view taken as indicated by the lines and arrows III--III which appear in Fig. 2; and

Fig. 4 represents an enlarged fragmentary sectional view of the album, taken as indicated by thelines and arrows IVIV which appear in Fig. l.

In describing the form of my invention exemplified by the accompanying drawings, specific terms will be employed for the sake of clarity, but it is to be expressly understood that the scope of the invention is not thereby limited, each such term being intended to embrace all equivalents which perform the same function for an analogous purpose.

Having reference to the appended drawings, wherein one. embodiment of the invention is shown, the album 2|] has a cover piece 2| desirably of rectangular shape and formed of substantially rigid cardboard, plastic, heavy paper or like sheet material. The album 20 also has an envelope 22, desirably formed of paper or other rigid or non-rigid sheet material. The envelope 22 has an inner wall 23 and outer wall M which are joined together at the 'bottom and outer side edges by flaps 25 and 26 respectively. Flap 25 is formed integrally with inner wall 23 and affixed to outer wall 24- as by gluing or the like, while flap 25 is formed integrally with outer wall 24 and is ailixed to inner wall 23. The envelope 22 is open at the top for insertion and removal of the record 21.

Formed integrally with inner wall 23, and. constituting an extension thereof, is the flap or extension piece comprehensively designated by the number 33. Similarly the flap 3| is integral with outer wall 26. Referring particularly to Fig. 3, flap 39 is bent first at an angle to the inner wall 23, at the inner edge 32 of the envelope 22, forming the flange strip 33 which constitutes one element of flap til. Flange strip 33 contacts the outer wall flap 3i and then is bent back to form the web strip 34 which is disposed face to face against outer wall flap 3| and constitutes another element of flap 30. The faces of web strip 34 and flap 3| are glued or otherwise affixed together forming a substantially rigid laminar strip 35 which extends from the bottom to the top of the album and constitutes the backbone thereof. Flaps 3|! and 3| extend beyond the backbone formed by portions of said flaps, the inner wall flap being bent away from outer wall flap 3| to form flange strip 36. The flap 30 is once again bent at an angle to flange strip 36, at the edge 31, and forms attachment flap All. which is affixed to back surface 4| of cover piece 2|, as by gluing or the like. The flap 3| also extends beyond laminar strip and terminates in an attachment flap 42 which is similarly secured to front surface 43 of cover piece 2i. Flap 3i is desirably pre-folded or scored along the lines 44, 35 which extend from top to bottom along the edges of the laminar strip 35. It will b observed that the laminar strip 35 which constitutes the backbone of the album has a fiat outside surface 46, which may" alternatively have a curved contour. on which the title of the record may be printed or otherwise marked. Moreover, the boundary of the laminar strip 3 which corresponds to the position of score line la serves to define the inner boundary for the record carrying compartment or envelope .22.

Referring particularly to it will further become apparent that flange strips 33 and '35 told against the inner surface of the backbone when the album is closed, thereby contrbuting further bracin action and adding to the strength and rigidity attributable to the laminar strip 35. The backbone or laminar strip (iii extends at a substantially right angle to the envelope and to the cover piece when the album is arranged in closed book position.

By reason of the structure of the album, as is apparentfrorn Fig. 4, the record 21' when inserted into the envelope constitues stifiening or rigiditying means ferthe envelope and forms in com.- bination with the envelope a substantially rigid back cover for the album. The combined thickness of the record and envelope walls .is preferably substantially equal to the thickness of the front cover 25., thereby providing a symmetrical album of a character capable of protecting the record from breakage and Warping independently of the manner in which the records and albums are-stored. The double thickness-oi sheet material representediby inner wall 23 and attachment flap id is complemented at the outer edge of the album (seeFig. 4) by inner wall 23 and flap Z6.

Thealbumis conveniently formed of only three pieces of starting material. Two pieces of sheet material, constituting the envelope walls and theirextensions, are. suitably ore-folded orscored andare attached together as described. .At'this stage the laminar strip .35 is formed. Ooverpiece 2i is then placed between the attachment flaps 411, 4'2 and the construction of the entire album is conip'le'tcd'by securing these flaps to the cover piece.-

'The provision of separate walls 23 and 24,, at-

t'ach'ed together at '28, is advantageous as .previously discussed and for the further reason that wall 214%, which constitutes the back wall of the album, may consist of Waterproof or relatively heavy sheet material. However for certain applications the provision of flap IE5 is entirely'ii'nnecessary and walls 23 and 2% may be formed of ones'h'eet suitably folded at the outer edge.

While I have shown and described in detail the article constituting one form of my invention, it will be appreciatedthat modifications may be made in the form of the device, including reversals of parts, substitutions of equivalents, and the use of certain parts independently of others, all within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

I. A record album comprising one and only one record carrying envelope having a front wall and a back wall, and flaps formed integrally with the front and back walls, said flaps having free ends, theitlapsbeing affixed face to face to each other to form a laminar backbone having one scored edge defining the inner side boundary of the envelope and another scored edge from which said free ends extend, and a substantially rigid cover piecexhavin-g. an edge disposed between the ends ot said Ifiapsand abutting said other edge of backbone, the free ends of the flaps being ailixed to opposite faces of the cover piece, said flaps being 'frolda b le along both said scored edges of said backbone.

2. A record album comprising a cover piece, a record carrying envelope having a front wall-and a back wall, a closed bottom and outer side, an open top, and flaps .iormed integrally with the innersides of the front .andbach walls, the front wall .fl'ap having a flange strip extending from the side of the envelope to the back wall flap, a web strip -formed integrally with said flange strip and aifixed face to face to said back wall flap to form a laminarbackbone for the album, and another flange strip formed integrally with said web strip and having an attachment flap affixed to one race or" the cover piece, the back wall flap having an attachment to other face of the cover piece, said backbone being foldable along both its edges with respect tosa id napsand said envelope whereby said bacl bone substantially perpendicular to said front and back walls and to said cover piece when the album is in closed .bo'ok position.

3. Ai'ecord album comprising one and only one record carrying envelope having a front wall and 'a back wall, and flaps formed integrally with the front and back walls, said flaps having free ends, thefiilaps being afliXed face to face to each other to rel-m a laminar backbone having one scored edge defining th inner side boundary of the envelope and having .a second scored edge from which said vfree ends extendand a substantially rigid coverp'iece having an edge disposed adjacent the endsof said flaps, said cover piece edge being adjacent said second scored edge of the backbone, and said flaps being folda'ble along both said scored edges of .said backbone.

JOHN R. KEIJNEDY.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number "Name Date ii-42,286 "(lemmings M May 18, 1886 2,109,882 Grain Mar. 1, 1938 2,384,633 'Markowski Sept. 11, 194.5 2339,86? Sega-l Apr. 20, 1948 2,519,390 'McCu'll'oh Aug. 22, 1950 

